Boston/Providence

Thanks to the wonders of education I was able to travel to Boston for the always exciting annual geographers conference. 6000 geographers in one place for 5 days, like a beautiful dream.


My camera broke but I managed to get a few shots, including the John Zorn/Masada show at ICA, set on Boston's waterfront




The congregation of 5 universities made the city one of the most bike-populated areas I have visited, along with some other good projects


...and this great bicycle advocacy advertisement

It reminded me in a more subtle p.c. way of one of the finest pieces of graffiti that was emblazoned upon an abandoned house at a major intersection in the CBD of Melbourne that just said "Ride ya bike fatty!"

Asides from being trapped inside a fortress-like complex of hotel conference rooms and academic panels, I was able to escape and ride my kindly-loaned $20 mountain bike that was three sizes too small, described by one new acquaintance as looking "like a giant on your ridiculous mountain bike pedaling overtime, careening through the streets of boston and overtaking tricked out track bikes". Asides from the handlebars coming loose, the left crank arm breaking entirely off, and being followed by police for being lost in a rich neighbourhood at 3am looking entirely suspicious no doubt, it made for fun times riding through Harvard, Cambridge, and the outskirts of who-knows-where.

I took a short side trip to Providence, Rhode Island on the train, 1 hour later I am in another city/state. My only real knowledge of Providence is RISD (the school of design) and Lightning Bolt/Load Records, both of which I saw within ten minutes of arrival.

Most importantly I learnt that Boston and Providence are the home of Dunkin' Donuts, literally on every corner, including the Dunkin Donut Center which was sadly just a convention center

**According to google maps, there are presently 1543 dunkin donuts stores in Boston, seriously...